


To Have And To Hold

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [158]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Reference to Torture, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, Wedding Fluff, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 13:43:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13525482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Today is William and Emma's wedding day. Well, that was the plan. When Team Arrow is involved, the plan usually goes out the window and falls five stories. Oliver can't believe his son is getting married. He's hoping to get through the day without falling apart.





	To Have And To Hold

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further.
> 
> There is only one person who could get me to write two wedding installments for this series. Happy Birthday, Dani. I hope the Wilma wedding is everything you hoped for. xoxo
> 
> This installment is 145/158. The chronological list for the series, with hyperlinks, can be found at http://archiveofourown.org/works/11051019

 

A knock loudly sounded on Oliver’s former bedroom door. Tommy opened the door to find a scowling Rhonda Green.

Rhonda pushed past Tommy. “Where is he?” she asked looking around the room.

Bobby and Nate sat on the sofa in their matching tuxedos and looked to Tommy with worry.

“William is coming,” Tommy said calmly, even though he was beginning to have doubts of his own.

“The photographer plans on starting in thirty minutes and there isn’t a sign of the groom or your husband or wife,” Rhonda pointed out. “Has he changed his mind?”

“About marrying Emma?” Tommy asked with disbelief. “No, he has not changed his mind”

“Mrs. Green,” Bobby said from the sofa, “William is coming. He would never hurt Emma. He loves her.”

“Bobby, it is sweet that you want to protect your brother,” Rhonda said, her anger deflating a little.

“I’m not protecting him.” Bobby stood up and squared his shoulders, “If he ever hurts Emma, he’ll have to answer to me.”

“Mom,” Emma said as she entered the room, her satin gown rustling as she moved. “What are you doing in here?”

“I’m looking for your fiancé,” Rhonda informed her daughter. “He’s not here.”

“I know mom,” Emma said through gritted teeth, “Will is just running late. He’ll be here.”

“I told you that he is too young to get married. He’s not ready for this kind of responsibility,” Rhonda said, wringing her hands.

“Mom, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” Emma responded angrily. “William is coming.”

“You haven’t said your vows yet. It’s not too late to stop all this,” Rhonda gestured broadly.

“I don’t want to stop this,” Emma said, her eyes welling. “I want to marry William and he wants to marry me.”

Tommy pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Emma. “Don’t mess your eye make-up, kiddo. Everything is going to be fine. William is just running a little behind.”

“Emma,” Nate said as he tapped her hand, “you look like a princess.”

Emma laughed as she dabbed her eyes, “Thank you, Nate. You look very handsome.”

“He’s right,” Bobby said taking her hand, “you look beautiful.”

“I have never seen a bride as beautiful as Felicity was, until today,” Tommy said as his own eyes filling with tears. “You are stunning. William will be speechless.”

Emma held out his handkerchief, “Please don’t cry, or I’ll start to cry.”

Tommy laughed, “I’ll save my tears for the ceremony.”

Rhonda scoffed and stormed from the room.

“Have you heard from them?” Emma asked quietly.

Tommy took Emma’s elbow and walked her to the corner of the room. “I haven’t.” The truth was, Felicity wasn’t answering his calls. Diggle, Sara and Nyssa had gone after Oliver, William and Roy before sunrise, and he hadn’t heard from them since. He was beginning to fear that the best case scenario was going to be postponing the wedding.

Emma bounced slightly on her feet as she stared at the ceiling, “I’d know if something happened to him, right?”

Tommy held Emma’s hand and lied, “Yes.” He didn’t have the heart to tell her that the people you loved could slip from your life without you knowing it. He did love his step-son, but he felt he owed the woman in front of him a warning. “This is the life you’re signing up for. It doesn’t get easier. Your mom is right, you can still walk away, free and clear.”

“Knowing everything you knew back then, you still married them. You had four children with them. Would you trade any of that for fewer sleepless nights?” Emma challenged.

There had not been a night in the past twenty years that Tommy hadn’t worried for Oliver and Felicity. He had to put his faith in the fact that they wanted to come home to him and their family more than anything. It was the only way he was able to function. Still, he wouldn’t trade his heroes for anything. Tommy shook his head, “I wouldn’t change any of it. Oliver and Felicity are worth every sleepless night they gave me – they still give me.”

“So is William,” Emma said with a smile. “But if he doesn’t show up, and I have to face my mom and hear her say, _I told you so_ , I’m going to kill him.”

“I think you’ll have to get in line,” Tommy said, nodding towards a pacing Bobby. “I think your biggest fan might beat you to it.”

“Do the kids know what’s going on?” she asked as she watched her future brothers-in-law.

“They know their mom and dad haven’t been home since yesterday morning,” he answered. “I told them that there was a work emergency. I don’t think Bobby believes me, especially since he realized Roy, John, Sara and Nyssa aren’t here either.”

“Do Samantha and Richard know?” she asked.

“Yes, and Richard is starting to give me dirty looks,” Tommy only half-joked. He didn’t know why the man seemed to think that Tommy was the one who put their kid in a mask. If anything, Tommy was the one who tried to prevent it. “He should be back any minute, he went to check on Samantha.”

“I’m going to tell the photographer to start with me and my mom – maybe the kids – Samantha and Richard,” Emma suggested. “Grimacing in photos, that’s acceptable, right?”

Tommy took both of Emma’s hands, “Listen to me, this is going to be your only wedding and Rhonda is your only mom. Don’t be angry with her. Enjoy today. Let me worry about getting William into his monkey suit on time. Nothing is going to keep him from marrying you today.”

Emma kissed Tommy’s cheek, “Thank you.” She held her hands out to the boys, “Come on you two, we’re going to find your sisters and we’re going to get our pictures taken.”

“Best behavior, you two,” Tommy called after his sons.

He removed his cell from his pocket and dialed his wife. Her phone went straight to voicemail, “Babe, it’s me. You’re really starting to make me think something is seriously wrong. Please call me when you get this. I’m getting ready to track you myself and bring all of you home.” He hesitated before disconnecting his call, “I love you.”

 

“Damn it,” Felicity said as she slammed her keyboard against the small desk in the back of Team Arrow’s van. “I can’t get past the encryption. I can’t disable the alarms or access the cameras.”

The Yakuza and Barrio 18 had begun a gang war in Pennytown. Over the past month, the violence had spilled out from the docks and into the residential neighborhoods. People were afraid to leave their homes after nightfall for fear of getting caught in the crossfire. Team Arrow was running themselves ragged trying to stay ahead of the violence, but taking down members of the gangs wasn’t doing anything to curtail the bloodshed. They needed to cut the heads from the snakes.

One of Roy’s contacts had sent him a message during William and Emma’s rehearsal dinner. Roy had been given the location of where the leader of Barrio 18 was going to be. Oliver, William, and Roy had suited up, with Felicity on comms. As soon as the Green Arrow, the Archer, and Arsenal had entered the building, Overwatch had lost contact with them. She immediately called in Diggle, Sara, and Nyssa, but she was hesitating to send in three more people blind.

“This grows tiresome,” Nyssa complained. “We should set the charges and be done with it.”

“They will execute them if they know we’re coming,” Diggle said with exasperation.

“You don’t have enough faith in your team,” Nyssa said. “They are capable and might only be looking for a distraction.”

Felicity checked the feed coming from Overwatch. There were three reassuring heat signatures clustered tightly together. She assumed they were, Oliver, William and Roy. There hadn’t been any movement in the room for hours. If the team could get out, she was certain they would’ve been now. She didn’t know if one or all of them were injured or if they were being held in a room so secure, her husband couldn’t figure a way out. “There are thirty people between us and our team. I think surprise is our best chance of getting them out.”

Sara squeezed Felicity’s shoulder, “I think we need to use the gas.”

“They’ve been in there for hours, we don’t know how injured they are,” Felicity repeated for the sixth time. She knew it was her own experience with ARGUS’ knockout gas that made her hesitate, but she didn’t want any of the three men that she loved to be exposed. It was William’s wedding day. She was trying to find a way to keep it from being completely ruined.

“There is going to be a very disappointed little girl if she doesn’t get to eat wedding cake today,” Nyssa said as she stared at the heat signatures.

Felicity laughed. Prue had been talking about the wedding cake non-stop since the moment her aunts had arrived. “True.” She looked to Diggle.

Diggle nodded, “Let’s do this.”

Felicity lifted the case of miniaturized drones from the floor of the van. Each drone had been fitted with an aerosolized canister filled with ARGUS’ gas. She would be able to fly the drones through the vents and target the individual heat signatures. Hopefully, the drones would minimize Oliver, William and Roy’s exposure to the gas.

“Who feels like going for a climb?” Felicity asked her team.

Sara stood up and took the case, “I’ll do it.”

Felicity pointed to a schematic of the building and pointed to an exhaust vent on the roof of the building they were targeting. “They need to be released there.”

“Be ready to move in ten minutes,” Sara told Nyssa and Diggle, as she pulled on one of Roy’s red hoodies over her black leather jacket. Broad daylight was never ideal for a mission. “Never let it be said that I’m not a romantic. Let’s get William married.”

“Keep working on that encryption,” Diggle told Felicity. “I’d prefer not going in blind.”

Felicity’s fingers returned to her keyboard. The encryption was way too sophisticated for Barrio 18. They were working for someone else. She feared that the gang war was merely a symptom of a much larger problem. Her gut was telling her that a new supervillain had taken up residence in Starling, and this was just the beginning.

 

“Archer, open your eyes,” Oliver commanded.

William was face down on the cement floor. Oliver couldn’t tell from his angle if William was breathing. His son had been waterboarded and shocked by their interrogator.

“Arsenal, is he breathing?” Oliver asked Roy.

“Yeah,” Roy rasped, “but I don’t think he can take another round.”

Oliver agreed with his brother-in-law’s assessment. Oliver and Roy’s forearms and wrists were encased in iron gauntlets that were bolted to the cement wall. He pulled against his restraints, but his shackles remained secure. Even if he dislocated his thumb, he wouldn’t be able to free himself.

William groaned, “What time is it?”

“It’s past sunrise,” Oliver answered.

“Can someone divorce you before you get married?” William asked, rolling onto his back. “Emma’s going to kill me.”

“I wouldn’t worry if I were you,” Roy said, forcing humor into his voice. “At least you’re not married to Tommy. Your dad is the one who’s going to be in real trouble.”

Once again, Oliver’s brother-in-law was right. Tommy was going to be furious. His husband had begged him not to go on a mission the night before the wedding.

William snorted, coughed violently, and then groaned, “Don’t make me laugh.”

“Stay still,” Oliver told his son. “They’re watching us. If they think you’re still unconscious, they won’t come back.”

Heavy boots echoed off the metal stairs that were not in Oliver’s line of sight. It sounded like three people.

“Too late,” William hissed as he struggled to his feet.

“Who wants to go to a wedding?” Sara asked as she stepped into Oliver’s field of vision.

 

“Stall?” Tommy hissed as he moved quickly through the Queen mansion, avoiding eye contact with all the staff. “What do you mean, stall?”

“I mean, sing a song. Dance a dance. Strip naked and stand on your head. I don’t care, just stall,” Felicity said. “We’re on our way, but Oliver, William and Roy look worse for wear. I don’t think we’ll be able to hide their injuries.”

Tommy sighed, “Great. Emma, Thea, and I will get to immortalize the stupidity of our husbands in a family photo. Another banner day as the spouse of Team Arrow.”

“Babe,” Felicity said gently, “he’s okay, I promise.”

Tommy’s breath hitched at his wife’s words. “Yeah, okay. I’m going to stall. Will a fender bender suffice?”

“A car accident is better than violent street gang,” Felicity answered. “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Have my mom and Thea waiting with lots of foundation.”

Tommy stepped into the bright January day. The Queen winter garden was in full bloom. He could hear his children’s laughter and prayed they weren’t already covered in grass stains.

Thea and Donna stood in front of the hedgerow and watched as the photographer posed Emma in front of the fountain with the children surrounding her.

“I’ve got twenty bucks that says Nate ends up splashing in the fountain before this photo shoot is over,” Thea said to Tommy without looking.

“That’s a sucker’s bet,” Tommy responded. “It’s why I have two spare tuxedos for him.”

“Have you heard from them?” Donna asked.

“Yeah, they’ll be here in fifteen minutes. We’re going to tell everyone there was a car accident. Felicity needs your help to cover up some of the bruising,” Tommy explained to Donna and Thea.

Thea squeezed his arm, “We’ll take care of the guys, you can deal with Rhonda.”

Tommy took a deep breath and steeled himself for Rhonda’s anger. He waved to Emma and pointed towards her mom. Emma spoke to the photographer and he began to gather the children to photograph.

Tommy took Emma’s hand and they approached Rhonda, “First, William is okay. There was a car accident.”

“What?” Rhonda asked.

“Someone ran a stop sign and broadsided Oliver’s car. Everyone is okay, but William, Oliver and Roy are pretty banged up,” Tommy explained as he squeezed Emma’s hand to reassure her. “They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes. We’re probably going to need to start the ceremony a little late. I’m going to have the staff walk around with some champagne and hors d’oeuvres, after I explain the reason for the delay.”

“I need to see him,” Emma said as she pulled from Tommy’s grip.

“It’s bad luck,” Rhonda called after a running Emma.

“I don’t believe in bad luck,” Emma shouted back. “We make our own in this family.”

Tommy put a hand on Rhonda’s back, “You look like you could use a drink.”

Rhonda looked at Tommy, and a wry smile turned her lips, “I could use two.”

He crooked his arm and offered it to Rhonda, “Me too.”

 

Emma ran through the gardens and through the living room patio doors. The mansion was eerily quiet as her heels clicked against the hardwood. She threw open the living room doors to find Diggle, Sara and Nyssa speaking with Lyla and Quentin. “Where is he?” she asked as she ran past them.

“They just went upstairs,” Quentin answered her.

Breathlessly she threw open Oliver’s old bedroom door and ran inside. William was standing by the foot of the bed as Samantha and Richard helped to undress him. She greedily took in his body, assessing him for injuries.

“Whoa,” Felicity said as she blocked Emma’s path. “We are not getting blood on your wedding dress.”

“Are you okay?” Emma snapped angrily at her fiancé.

William was staring at her with a dopey grin, “You look like a dream.”

“Are you okay?” she asked again.

“I look worse than I feel,” he answered.

Emma swayed slightly on her feet as her vision went dark around the edges. She was having trouble catching her breath.

Felicity took hold of her arm and leaned her against the back of the sofa. “Are you okay?”

“Just a little dizzy. Running in a corset wasn’t my best idea,” Emma explained with a feeble smile.

“Let me get you a glass of water,” Felicity offered.

William had pulled free from his dad’s grip and stood in front of her with a worried frown, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Emma held out her hand and William took it. His top lip was split and he had a bruise on his left cheek. There was some bruising on his side and what looked like a burn on his chest. She was afraid to ask what had happened to him over the past eighteen hours. It was her wedding day. The last thing she wanted to think about was how frail the thread was that tethered them to life. Emma took a deep breath and smiled bravely at the man who would be her husband before the end of the day. “I am, now that you’re here,” she answered. “I thought,” she bit the inside of her cheek as tears threatened to fall.

“Nothing would keep me from you today,” William said before pressing her hand against his face. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this day?”

Emma rested her other hand over his heart. Its steady beat was reassuring beneath her fingertips. She nodded her head. William swore that he’d wanted to marry her from the moment he first laid eyes on her in the kitchen of Cobble Hill seven years earlier. The way he was looking at her, she had no doubt that he was telling the truth. There were days when she would kick herself for allowing their fears to keep them from dating sooner. Today was not one of those days. Every choice they made had led them to this moment, and she wouldn’t change a thing.

Felicity placed her hand on Emma’s back and held out a glass of water, “We need to get him in the shower and patched up.”

William leaned over and kissed her carefully. He grimaced slightly as he pulled away.

Emma shook her head and chuckled at the absurdity of the situation. “We’re in for one fun wedding night,” she said, gesturing at his body. She’d consider it a victory if he didn’t fall asleep during the reception.

“Have faith, Emma Green. I have my ways,” William winked.

Oliver sighed heavily as he exited the bathroom in tuxedo pants and a t-shirt, “I really didn’t need to hear that. Let’s go you two. We have a wedding we’re already late for.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Emma said as she straightened up. She took a drink of water and handed the glass back to Felicity.

As Felicity ushered her from the room, William shouted, “I love you, Emma Miriam Green and I’m going to marry you today.”

“I love you, William Jonas Clayton and I’m going to marry you today,” she shouted back as Felicity closed the bedroom door.

“Come on,” Donna held her hand out, “let’s touch you up.”

“I’m getting married today,” Emma giggled with pure happiness.

“Yes, you are,” Donna agreed with an indulgent smile.

 

“Ready?” Oliver asked William. His son had gone uncharacteristically quiet when they’d gone downstairs. Felicity had done a remarkable job with William’s makeup. The bruise on his cheek wasn’t visible. His split lip was the only outward sign of the ordeal he’d been through. Oliver was a little worried that the pain killer Roy had injected into William was too strong and his son was high.

“Hmmm?” William asked.

“Are you ready?” Oliver asked again. “The orchestra is waiting for our sign.”

William stood up straight and looked around, “Is Emma ready?”

“I think Emma was ready two hours ago,” Bobby said drolly.

“It’s not too late for me to find another best man,” William gently bumped into his little brother.

“Not if you ever want to see the ring again,” Bobby teased, patting his pocket.

“Okay, you two,” Felicity said as she straightened Bobby’s tie, “let’s get this show on the road. I really need a drink.”

“I’m ready,” William told his dad.

Oliver nodded to the wedding coordinator and the orchestra seamlessly switched tunes. The garden doors opened, and Bobby offered his arm to his mother. They began their slow procession down the aisle.

Oliver hugged his son and kissed his uninjured cheek, “I love you, and I’m so proud of you. I wish you and Emma as much love and happiness as Felicity, Tommy, and I share.”

William kissed his dad’s cheek, “Thanks, dad. I love you too.”

Oliver stood by his son’s side, a hand on his shoulder and they followed Bobby and Felicity. Halfway down the aisle, Tommy stood waiting for them with Samantha and Richard. Tommy held out his hand and Oliver took it. Samantha and Richard stood on either side of William and followed Oliver and Tommy the rest of the way down the aisle.

Tommy laced his fingers with Oliver’s, “Doing okay, dad?”

“Yeah,” Oliver nodded. He didn’t trust his voice not to betray him. He couldn’t believe his son was getting married. He didn’t know where the past ten years had gone.

“Personally,” Tommy said as he continued to smile at the onlookers, “I’m feeling ancient today. Before you know it, someone is going to be calling us grandpa.”

Oliver’s head whipped towards Tommy. Instead of making him feel old, the thought of becoming a grandfather filled him with happiness. “Don’t pretend you won’t love being a grandpa.”

Tommy kissed Oliver’s knuckles, “I will be honored to be called grandpa by your grandbabies.”

Oliver held their joined hands to his chest, “I love you.”

“You better,” Tommy winked. “You put me through hell today.”

“I love you,” Oliver said again, needing to hear the words back.

Tommy’s face softened, “I love you.”

They reached the end of the aisle where Felicity stood waiting for them. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks.

“Pace yourself,” Tommy whispered as he passed by her to his seat. “We’ve got a long day and night ahead of us.”

Oliver waved to a nervous Bobby who was standing beneath the chuppah with the rabbi. A bright smile lit up Bobby’s face and he visibly relaxed. William kissed Samantha and Richard before he joined Bobby and the rabbi. Bobby extended his hand and William shook it. Samantha stood beside Oliver with Richard on her other side. All five of William’s parents sat together.

The music changed and Oliver, Felicity, and Tommy turned to watch, Nate and Prue walk down the aisle. Prue was wearing the puffiest dress Oliver had ever seen. The dress was the palest of pinks with tiny deep pink and white rosebuds embroidered all over. The dress had so many layers of crinoline Tommy had declared she looked like a merengue. Oliver had never seen his daughter happier than when she tried it on for her dads and twirled in front of her mom’s mirror.

Prue meticulously placed one pink rose petal at a time on the white runner, as she slowly walked down the aisle. Nate looked nervously over his shoulder at his parents and Oliver had to cover his mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping. It was going to take Prue twenty minutes to get down the aisle if she continued placing one petal at a time. Tommy gestured towards Nate and he poked his sister and then pointed back to Tommy. Tommy mimed throwing a handful of petals at Prue when she looked up at him. Prue shook her head. The guests began to chortle. Tommy mimed the gesture again.

Prue shook her head and loudly said, “Da, I might run out.”

The guests all laughed, and Prue looked around with concern.

“It’s okay, baby. You won’t run out,” Tommy informed his daughter. “I promise.”

Prue held the basket up to Nate for his assessment of the situation. He peered inside her basket and nodded. Nate tucked the ceremonial ring pillow he was carrying beneath his armpit and reached into Prue’s basket. He took a handful and showed it to Prue. She shook her head and took some of the petals from his hand and returned them to the basket. Nate scattered the petals in front of Prue. She bit her lip as she took in her brother’s handy work. Prue reached into the basket and then scattered a handful of petals. The guests clapped their approval. Prue’s face lit up with a smile and she threw another fistful of petals. She held the basket out to Nate and he took a fistful of petals and scattered them. They alternated scattering petals as they continued down the aisle.

At the end of the aisle, Nate stood beside Bobby. William held out his hand to Prue. He twirled her beneath the center of the chuppah, her skirt floating around her like a soft pink cloud. She giggled with delight as her big brother continued to twirl her into her position. The guests let out a collective, “Aw,” at the cuteness of the siblings. When William returned to his spot, he held out his fist to his youngest brother, and Nate bumped it with his own. Another, “Aw,” went up from the guests.

Becca appeared at the garden doors, in a deep blush velvet gown. The ends of the large white satin bow formed a train behind her as she glided down the aisle. Tess trotted proudly beside her with a large white satin bow tied around her neck. Becca’s face was serious as she concentrated on each step. When she glanced up, looking for her parents, Felicity blew her a kiss and smiled. The smile Becca returned never left her face as she continued down the aisle. When she reached the chuppah, William bowed to her and Becca curtsied, much to the delight of the guests. William offered his sister his arm and she took it. He kissed her cheek when he left her beside Prue. Tess happily circled around them before sitting at William’s feet.

Emma’s maid of honor made her way down the aisle with far less drama than the Smoak siblings. William quickly escorted her to her spot and returned to his position. He eagerly looked down the aisle, awaiting the appearance of his bride. The wedding march began, and everyone rose to their feet. Everyone turned to watch the bride be escorted down the aisle by her mother, but Oliver only had eyes for his son.

Oliver’s eyes filled with tears at the look of sheer joy on his son’s face. He reached for Felicity’s hand and she threaded her fingers through his. Oliver knew what William was feeling because he had felt the same way when Felicity walked down the aisle towards him. Until his children were born, his wedding day had been the happiest day of his life. Taking vows with Tommy and Felicity had filled Oliver with an unexpected peace. Even though their marriage would never be recognized, on that day, everything had changed for Oliver. When he’d pledged his life and love to Felicity and Tommy, he had finally found his home. As he watched his son, beaming with happiness, he hoped William would find the same contentment and sense of belonging in his marriage to Emma as Oliver had found with Tommy and Felicity.

William met Emma and Rhonda and he kissed his soon to be mother-in-law on the cheek. Richard escorted Rhonda to her seat, as William led Emma to the chuppah. William held Emma’s hand tightly and rested it against his chest. He cupped her face with his free hand and kissed her. The guests all laughed.

“Like father, like son,” Felicity said as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

“I see we have a very eager groom,” the rabbi gently teased. “Please remain standing as we give thanks that William’s accident was not worse, and he is able to stand here before us today and take the covenant of marriage with Emma.”

 

Bobby stood in front of Felicity, clutching her hands with his clammy hands. “What if I screw up?” he asked, his brow furrowed with worry. “What if I forget what I wrote?”

“You’re not going to screw up,” Felicity promised. “You’re just going to speak from your heart. Whatever you say is going to be perfect.”

Felicity was more than a little concerned that her eldest was going to pass out. Emma had asked Bobby to speak on behalf of her family because her mom was afraid of public speaking. Richard had already spoken, and Oliver was going to speak after Bobby.

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Bobby stated.

“Have a sip of water,” Tommy said as he placed a dampened napkin on the back of Bobby’s neck. “This has got to be better than reading the Haftarah.”

Bobby shrugged, “I guess.”

“Your dad’s right, talking about how much you love Emma and William is way easier than your bar mitzvah and you didn’t throw up doing that,” Felicity said with an encouraging smile.

A small smile turned up Bobby’s lips, “That’s true.”

Emma struck a knife against her glass and accepted a microphone from William. She cleared her throat and the room went quiet. “As many of you know, my dad passed away when I was very young. It is on a day like today, that I feel his absence most, which is why I consider myself so lucky to introduce my broth..” Emma’s voice cracked. She wiped a tear and smiled at Bobby, “my brother. That felt really good to say. My whole life changed the day I met him. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the, now official, brother of the bride, Robert Smoak.”

Felicity kissed Bobby’s cheek. He walked to the sweetheart table where Emma and William stood. He accepted a kiss on the cheek from Emma and took the microphone from her hand. He smiled nervously at the crowd and then looked at Emma.

“I’m honored that Emma and Mrs. Green asked me to make this speech, but I suspect I was asked because William was afraid I’d tell too many embarrassing stories about him as his best man.” The crowd chuckled politely. “I’m a genius,” Bobby said abruptly. “I’m not bragging, just stating a fact that’s relevant. Right before my sixth birthday, I started junior high school. My parents decided that setting a five-year-old loose amongst a sea of eleven, twelve and thirteen-year olds was a recipe for disaster. Their solution might just be the most consequential decision they ever made as my parents. Their solution was to hire the extraordinary Emma Green to be my student chaperone. When my parents first introduced us, the first thing I remember thinking about Emma was that her hair couldn’t possibly be real. I think before I even said hello to you, I asked you if I could touch it.” Emma laughed and nodded her agreement. “I think I loved Emma from the moment I met her, but my love for her was written in stone the day she punched a paparazzo that dared to lay a hand on me. It’s not every day you meet a beautiful woman who will knockout a stranger for you with one punch. She’s been my personal hero ever since. Not only is she strong and brave, she’s smart, funny, and kind. At the risk of alienating my entire family, Emma is my favorite person in the whole universe. No matter how much time passes, I think I will always look at Emma the way I did when I was six. She is the girl with hair the color of fire who always has my back. I am proud to be her friend and happy that I can finally call her my sister. William, you are a lucky man to be loved by Emma and to get to walk through life with her by your side.”

Bobby grinned at his big brother, “You didn’t actually think you were going to get out of this without an embarrassing story, did you?”

William shook his head, “Remember, you love me.”

Bobby waggled his eyebrows at his brother and the room erupted in laughter. “There are three things that Becca, Nate, Prue and I hold as universal truths. “First, no matter how much our da insists, pineapple is not an acceptable pizza topping. Second, no matter how much our daddy insists, the Tardis is a way cooler ship than the Millennium Falcon.” Bobby shook his head at Oliver, “The Tardis travels through space and time, daddy – no contest.” He turned to look at William, “Third, Will is the best big brother we could ever ask for. He’s patient, smart, funny, kind and, Becca really wants me to emphasize, strong. He got us a puppy once, which is like the coolest thing a big brother can do for you. Emma, I’m sorry, but there’s a chance he loves Tess more than you, but you’re a really close second.”

Emma burst out laughing when William held his thumb and forefinger close together.

“Emma, we want to thank you for loving William as much as we do. We know you’ll take good care of him and still let him come out and play with us.” Bobby lifted a glass of champagne that a waiter had left for him, “To Emma and William. I’m trusting you both with each other. Don’t screw this up. I love you. We all love you.”

Felicity wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched William take the glass of champagne from Bobby before he could take a second sip. Bobby rolled his eyes as his brother and sister hugged and kissed him. Bobby could protest the affection William and Emma were showing him, but Felicity knew that her son was beyond overjoyed at their marriage.

William took the microphone from Bobby and wiped his own eyes. He addressed the crowd with a large smile on his face, “My wife just reminded me that she loved Bobby before she loved me. I’d like to remind her that I loved him before she did. Just as meeting Bobby changed Emma’s life, he changed my life too.” William picked up his glass of champagne. “I’d like to toast my little brother. Without him, I never would’ve met my amazing wife. Robert Smoak, you truly are, the best man.”

Bobby turned bright crimson and hung his head with embarrassment. Oliver placed a kiss to the top of Bobby’s head that only turned him redder.

“We have one last toast before the dancing begins. Ladies and gentlemen, my dad, Oliver Queen.”

Bobby sat in the seat Oliver had vacated and leaned against his mom. Felicity kissed her son’s forehead and hugged him tightly, “That was beautiful. Your dad is going to have a tough time topping that.”

Tommy draped his arm across Felicity’s shoulders as they watched their husband hug William and Emma. He pressed a kiss to Felicity’s cheek before whispering, “I don’t think I’ll make it through this with dry eyes.”

“Me neither,” Felicity said lacing her fingers with Tommy’s. Oliver had been working on his speech for weeks. She had no idea what he was going to say. “I hope he can get through it.”

“On behalf of Tommy and Felicity, we would like to thank all of you for coming today and sharing in our family’s joy as we celebrate William and Emma’s marriage. My family will tell you that I’m not very good with words. I’m going to ask for your patience as I try to put into words what I’m feeling here,” Oliver said as he placed his hand over his heart. “Today is one of the proudest moments of my life. It’s not the first time I’ve been proud of William, and it certainly won’t be the last, but today, I am extremely proud of my son. I can only take a pinch of credit for the amazing man William has become. Samantha and Richard raised the intelligent and compassionate man that sits before you today. I cannot thank Richard enough for loving our son when I was unable to. Aside from Tommy, I can think of no other man I would want to be a father to my child. Richard, the example you set for William is clear in the man he is today.”

Oliver turned his focus to William, “Over the past ten years, it’s been my absolute privilege to get to know and become your father. I wasn’t there the day you were born, but the first time you called me, dad, was one of the happiest days of my life. When you first came to see me, you were an unexpected miracle appearing in my life – in our lives,” Oliver gestured to the table where Felicity, Tommy and the children were sitting. “From the very beginning, you were a son I could be proud of – a good student and an athlete, but that was only the surface. When Tommy told me that you were alive and waiting for me at home, I was terrified. I was terrified that you were going to be ashamed of the man I was, and I would never get the chance to show you the man I’d become, but you were loving and kind when you had every reason to be angry with me. You accepted your new family with grace, compassion, and a maturity well beyond your years. You’ve been the best of big brothers to your little brothers and sisters. Felicity says that patience is your super power, and I would have to agree with her.”

“He’s too patient,” Emma interrupted with a laugh.

Oliver laughed, “I think Tommy would agree with you. I spent the last seven years listening to my husband complain about the glacial speed the two of you were courting – so much flirting – a painful amount of flirting. We should’ve known that the two of you, as always, knew best. To see you make this commitment to each other and establish the foundation of your family together, it makes me proud. When I think of who I was at twenty-five, and I see the two of you sitting there, at the same age, with your acts together and your whole lives ahead of you, I’m in awe.” Oliver took a shaky breath before continuing, “After I was shipwrecked, I used to lay beneath the stars and think of home. I would think about my mom, Thea and Tommy and wonder what they were doing. Sometimes, I would try to imagine what it would be like when I got rescued and made it home. I tried to picture what my life would be like a year after I got home – after five – after ten. This past October was my twentieth anniversary of coming home and I have to tell you, my imagination has nothing on reality.” He rested his hand on William’s shoulder, “I look at you and I can’t believe you’re mine. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be your dad. I have so many dreams for you, and this is one of them. I am so happy that you have found the person who loves and accepts you for the person you are. You will probably hear a lot of marriage advice before the night is over, but I’m not going to let that stop me from sharing some of my own. I know you’ve heard Tommy, Felicity and I stress how important communication is.”

“All the time,” William agreed with a smile.

“Communication is important, but that’s not what I want to leave you with tonight. I would like to tell you that every day, for the rest of your lives, you will be as happy as you are today, but that would be a lie. My wish is that you will know greater happiness than today, but my greatest wish is that when you know sadness it will be brief, and it will bring you closer. When that day comes, I want you to remember today. I don’t want you to remember the party and the dancing, but the vows you shared – the commitment you made. It is in the darkest of times that your vows will become your guiding light. It might be tempting to try to face it by yourself, but I’m going to tell you to resist that instinct. On that day, I need you to grab hold of each other tight and help each other through it. When you reach the other side, you will be stronger for having done it together and it will make the successes and happy times all the sweeter. I promise you both, you are so loved by your parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. We will all be there loving and supporting you as you take this journey together. I love you both.”

Oliver lifted his glass, “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, William and Emma Clayton.”

Everyone rose to their feet and toasted the happy couple. Oliver hugged and kissed his son and daughter-in-law. Felicity dabbed her eyes with her napkin. As William and Emma took to the floor for their first dance. Felicity turned to see tears running down Tommy’s cheek. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him softly. “Are you ready to dance?” she asked.

“With my wife, always,” Tommy said as he kissed the tip of Felicity’s nose.

 

William reminded himself to thank Tommy for the dance lessons as he held Emma close. His step-father had been right when he said a woman never found a man sexier than when she glided across a room in his arms. Emma had been sighing happily with every turn and dip they made. Despite his injuries, William wasn’t feeling any pain. He felt like he was floating, and he didn’t think it had anything to do with the drugs his Uncle Roy had injected him with. He was euphoric because of the woman in his arms.

William almost tripped when his little sister grabbed hold of his leg. “Will,” Prue said eagerly. “It’s time to cut the cake.”

William knelt beside his sister and teased, “We decided the cake is too pretty to eat. We’re not going to have any.”

Prue’s bottom lip began to quiver. Emma punched her husband’s shoulder before she remembered his injuries. She mouthed, “Sorry,” before she said, “Don’t tease her.” She took Prue’s hand, “Don’t listen to your brother, he’s only teasing. Of course, there’s going to be cake.”

“I’m sorry, monkey,” William said taking Prue’s other hand. “Let’s go check out the cake.”

“It’s even prettier in person,” Prue gushed. “Mommy says the flowers are made from sugar. She said I could take one home with me and put it on my shelf.”

Becca skipped over to the them and took William’s other hand. “Will?” she asked.

“Yes, Becks,” he responded.

“Da danced with Emma because her dad is in heaven. When Prue and I get married, do we dance with da or daddy? I don’t want to choose.”

“You’ll dance with them both, and then you’re going to dance with Bobby, Nate and me,” he answered as he twirled both his sisters.

A crowd had gathered in front of the cake. William and Emma dutifully posed for what seemed like one hundred more photographs. “If I never take another photograph again, it will be too soon,” Emma said through her teeth.

“No chance of that, you’re a Queen now,” he replied through his teeth. “This is just the beginning.”

Emma wrinkled her nose, “Any chance I can change my mind?”

He grinned before he kissed the tip of her nose, “Too late now. I’m all yours.”

“I guess you’re worth a lifetime of intrusive photographers,” she said with a sigh.

William covered Emma’s hand with his own as they made the first slice into the wedding cake. He held out a piece of the cake towards his wife, “Open wide, Mrs. Clayton.”

“Be nice, Mr. Clayton, or you’ll be spending your wedding night on the sofa,” she said with a grin.

William carefully fed his bride a bite of cake and she gave his finger a flirtatious flick of the tongue with a wink that made him want to march her out of the reception and begin their wedding night early.

Emma held a piece of cake between her delicate fingers and smiled coyly, “Your turn.”

He laughed as her smile turned wicked. He intercepted her hand on its way to collide with his nose and redirected the morsel to his mouth. He kissed her wrist before pulling her close and kissing her lips. The sound of their wedding guests cheering and clapping was lost on him. Emma’s eyes sparkled with happiness and her lips tasted of sugar and champagne. He knew he had to be looking at her with the same joy written across his face. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky to spend the rest of his life loving her, but he was going to work every day to earn it.

When they broke apart he spotted his little sister, barely visible over the top of the table. Her hands were clenched tightly against her chest and she watched with wide-eyed alarm as the wait staff moved to take the cake. He waved off the waiters and beckoned his sister over, “Come here, Prue.”

Prue ran to him and he lifted her into his arms. Even at the age of seven, she weighed hardly more than air. He picked up a piece of the cake they’d sliced and held it out to his sister, “Tell us what you think?”  

William placed the piece of cake into Prue’s open mouth. She thoughtfully chewed the cake and nodded her approval. She smiled, “It’s delicious. The strawberries are yummy.”

He scooped up a dab of the strawberry filing and put it on the tip of Prue’s nose. “I better check,” he informed her before he kissed the strawberry dot on the end of her nose. He smacked his lips before he grinned, “You’re right. The strawberries are yummy.”

Prue giggled and threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.

“I think we should pick out your flower before they start cutting the cake, don’t you?” he asked her.

Prue nodded solemnly and they slowly began circling the cake. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she assessed her choices. She tugged on his lapel, “Will, I want that one.”

“This one?” William asked, pointing to a purple pansy.

“Yes,” Prue nodded.

He carefully pulled the hard sugar flower from the cake and gently sat it on the table. Prue was biting her lip and staring at the cake. “Do you want to pick a second flower?”

Prue shook her head, but looked over to Emma, “May I have a butterfly too?”

“I insist you have a butterfly,” Emma said. “Have you picked one out?”

Prue nodded and pointed at the top of the cake, “May I have the yellow butterfly?”

William carefully removed the delicate yellow butterfly from the top of the cake and placed it on the table beside the violet. “Anything else?” he asked his sister. He would pluck every flower from the cake, if she asked him to.

“That’s enough,” she informed him. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” he said kissing her cheek. William put Prue down and she hugged his leg.

Felicity appeared at his side and crooked her finger at him. He leaned forward so she could place a kiss to his cheek. She straightened his lapel and smiled, “You’re a good man, William.”

“Mommy, did you see my purple flower and my yellow butterfly?” Prue asked.

“I did, baby.” Felicity held out a a piece of green Styrofoam and a white box, “The nice lady who baked the cake gave this to me, so we can keep your flower and butterfly safe.”

Emma wrapped her arm around William’s waist as Prue supervised Felicity sticking the flower and butterfly into the Styrofoam and then into the box.

They watched as Felicity and Tommy shepherded Becca, Mia, Scott, Nate, JJ and Prue to their table with Thea and Roy.

Emma wrapped her arms around William’s neck, “Felicity is right. You are a good man.”

William placed his hands low on Emma’s waist, “You’re only saying that because you married me.”

“Very true,” Emma agreed. “What kind of person would I be if I didn’t marry a good man?”

“A person whose fiancé showed up on time for their wedding,” William said seriously. “I’m sorry about today.”

Emma pressed a finger to his lips, “Don’t. Today was perfect. I wish you weren’t a giant bruise, but I wouldn’t change a thing about our wedding.” She rested her head against his chest, “You’re a hero. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

“Dance with me,” William requested.

“For the rest of our lives,” Emma promised.

 

The night was winding down and most of the remaining guests were William and Emma’s friends from school and work. Oliver had been upstairs checking on the children who had all gone to sleep in Mia’s room. Oliver spotted Tommy standing at the bar, swirling a glass of scotch as he watched the remaining dancers on the floor. His jacket was off and his tie was hanging loose around his neck. Oliver was overcome with the desire to dance with his husband. They hadn’t shared a single dance all night.

He approached his husband and held out his hand. Tommy placed his scotch into Oliver’s hand. Oliver chuckled and drained the glass. He sat the glass on the bar, “Thank you, but I was trying to ask you to dance.”

Tommy slid his hand into Oliver’s and led them onto the dance floor. Oliver gently pulled Tommy into his arms and his husband rested his head on his shoulder, their joined hands pressed between their hearts.

“Are the kids asleep?” Tommy asked.

“Yes, but it took quite a bit of negotiation to get Prue out of her dress,” Oliver said with a smile.

Tommy laughed softly, “What were the terms?”

“She can wear the dress again tomorrow,” Oliver said, turning them.

“I think she’s going to want to wear it until it turns to rags,” Tommy said with a sigh.

“Let her,” Oliver said as he pictured Prue’s smile the first time he saw her in the dress. “It makes her happy.”

Tommy hummed his agreement and nuzzled Oliver’s neck.

“You okay?” Oliver asked as he stroked Tommy’s back.

“Today was a good day,” Tommy responded.

Oliver dropped his cheek to the top of Tommy’s head. “I thought there was a chance I wasn’t going to bring everyone home today,” he admitted. “If Dig, Sara and Nyssa didn’t show up when they did, they would’ve killed William and I wouldn’t have been able to stop them.”

Tommy’s fingers momentarily dug into Oliver’s shoulder before his grip relaxed. “That’s why you have a team. That’s why you don’t go out there alone.”

“I’m getting too old for this,” Oliver said. “I’m going to let Caitlyn, Curtis and Ray perform the knee replacement surgery.”

Tommy lifted his head to look at his husband, “Are you sure?”

“William needs people in the field he can rely on. Felicity thinks we need to recruit people closer to William’s age,” Oliver answered.

“Is that safe?” Tommy asked with concern. He looked around them, “The team has always been family.”

Oliver looked across the room to where the members of the Justice League were sitting. “Bruce says that Dick is looking to get out from under his shadow. I think William could learn a lot from Dick. He’s got all of Bruce’s strengths, but none of his weaknesses.”

“Do we really want more Bruce in our lives?” Tommy asked.

“I had Diggle. Roy had me. There’s something to be said for having a brother in arms. Right now, William’s got a dad, two uncles and the occasional aunts in arms,” Oliver tried to explain.

Tommy frowned.

“What?” Oliver asked.

“I’ve never been so glad that Bobby is thirteen,” Tommy answered.

“Is this a private dance, or can your wife join?” Felicity asked with a sleepy smile.

Tommy and Oliver stepped apart enough for Felicity to fit between them. She rested her head on Oliver’s chest, “What are we talking about?”

“That today was a good day,” Oliver answered.

“It was a very good day,” Felicity agreed. “Almost as good as our wedding day. I was thinking…”

“About dessert?” Tommy teased with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Felicity laughed, “I didn’t get to eat any cake yet. I brought a slice up to our room for later.”

“You were thinking,” Oliver prompted his wife.

“Oh, right. I was thinking, next year is our fifteenth anniversary. I thought maybe we could renew our vows,” Felicity said. “I think the kids would like it. We could do it in Italy, just the nine of us.”

“What’s wrong with doing it for our fourteenth?” Oliver asked. Their anniversary was only four months away. He would happily renew his vows with Felicity and Tommy.

“Fourteen seems a skosh self-indulgent, doesn’t it?” she asked.

Oliver chuckled, “Are you sure you’re still going to want to renew our vows sixteen months from now?”

Felicity scrunched up her nose, “You’re right. It is a risk. I might finally come to my senses about the two of you.”

Tommy threw his head back and laughed.

Oliver felt every eye in the room look their way. “We have an audience,” Oliver informed his husband.

Tommy held his husband and wife closer, and softly sang, “Let people say we’re in love.”

“I beg you, please don’t start singing, Oklahoma,” Oliver said, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Not now, but when I get the two of you down to your all togethers, be prepared to be serenaded,” Tommy said as he returned his head to Oliver’s shoulder and began to hum softly.

Oliver held his husband and wife as they danced together. William and Emma were across the dance floor and were completely lost in one another. William twirled Emma and caught Oliver’s eye. He smiled broadly and gave his dad a slight wave. Oliver smiled and winked at his son.

Today was a very good day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. 
> 
> There will be an update on Saturday. I hope you enjoyed today's fluff, because we're returning to the angst. Oliver finds out about Colorado. 
> 
> Prompts are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. I'm always happy to answer questions about this verse or anything else Arrow. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


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